Eddie Hearn To Vergil Ortiz: ‘Sorry,’ Jaron Ennis Is Chasing Undisputed

Jaron Ennis Prioritizes Undisputed Title Over Vergil Ortiz Fight

Jaron “Boots” Ennis still wants to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr., but becoming the undisputed junior middleweight champion now comes first. Following Ennis’ seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas to unify the WBA and WBO titles, promoter Eddie Hearn said the championship path has become the priority.

“We took that Vergil Ortiz fight,” Hearn said after the event. “He signed for that fight. We took it for no belt. We took it for the fans to prove he was the best.”

Hearn then acknowledged that Ortiz’s position has changed now that Ennis owns two world titles.

“Sorry, Vergil, in a way, we want to be undisputed, but we don’t rule out that fight,” Hearn said. “It’s a big fight, but he’s about legacy. As he said, it’s a legacy tour. It’s the IBF and the WBC to win. That’s the plan.”

Ennis echoed that position during the press conference, saying he still wants to become the undisputed champion at 154 pounds but remains open to facing Ortiz if the remaining title fights cannot be made.

“I’m here to be undisputed and break up these belts. But if we can’t get these other guys and Vergil’s available, let’s make it happen,” Ennis said.

Hearn also questioned whether Ortiz would be ready to step directly into a fight with Ennis after an extended period of inactivity, suggesting a tune-up could be more likely before pursuing one of boxing’s biggest fights. Even so, he stressed that a meeting between Ennis and Ortiz remains one of the premier matchups in the division and has not been ruled out.

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